Recently, contract researcher Liao Chen-heng of the Marine National Park Headquarters collected a goby measuring approximately 3.2 cm in total length from an extremely shallow mudflat area (about 2 cm in depth) along the inner lagoon shore of Dongsha Island while conducting a fish survey. Owing to its distinctive body coloration and pattern, the specimen was brought back to the Dongsha Management Station’s Wildlife Conservation Center for further observation and care. Professor Chen Cheng-ping and his research team from the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute were invited to assist with species identification. The fish was preliminarily identified as a species of the genus Favonigobius (Favonigobius sp.), and is considered an undescribed species new to science.
Species of the genus Favonigobius are highly agile and difficult to collect. This individual displays body coloration resembling members of the genera Bathygobius and Papillogobius. However, careful examination revealed a distinct black spot at the posterior base of the first dorsal fin, as well as dense pigmentation on the pelvic and anal fins—features rarely seen in the aforementioned genera. In 2005, Professor Chen and his team encountered a similar individual in comparable lagoon habitats around Dongsha Island during fish surveys. However, due to the absence of live specimen photographs and insufficient sample numbers, the species could not be formally described. Over the subsequent eight years, no additional records were found, underscoring the rarity of this species.
The inner lagoon of Dongsha Island is characterized by sandy-muddy substrates. During sampling, footsteps easily disturb the sediment and reduce water clarity, making it particularly challenging to capture fast-moving fish such as gobies. Consequently, many new records—including the recently published Dongsha record of Reiche’s goby (Papillogobius reichei)—have often been discovered within lagoon habitats. To date, this newly discovered Favonigobius species has been recorded only twice worldwide, both near Dongsha Atoll, making it exceptionally rare and valuable. The Dongsha Management Station will continue monitoring efforts to determine its population status in the wild, with the goal of formally describing and naming the species in the near future. Such discoveries further enrich the already remarkable marine biodiversity of Dongsha Atoll National Park and enhance its international visibility in marine conservation research.
Newly discovered species of Favonigobius collected from Dongsha Island (Photo by Chiang Chun-ting)
Close-up of head (Photo by Chiang Chun-ting)
Shallow sandy-muddy habitat in the middle section of Dongsha Island’s inner lagoon where the specimen was collected (Photo by Liao Chen-heng)
Dongsha Management Station (including Research Station)